Wakefield Trinity Wildcats fined £20,000 for racist chanting by fans

Wakefield Wildcats have been fined £20,000 after a tribunal found that fans chanted racist abuse at a match.

The club was found guilty of breaches of Rugby Football League (RFL) rules following misconduct by a group of supporters at a match against Bradford Bulls at Belle Vue an August 15 last year.

The RFL said in a statement: “The matter relates to Wakefield’s home fixture in Round Two of the Super 8s Qualifiers against Bradford Bulls in which a group of Wakefield supporters were found by the tribunal to have engaged in chanting of a racist and offensive nature.”

The club was found to have breached operational rules including its responsibility for the behaviour of spectators.

The RFL said: “This was on the basis that the club’s immediate response to the incidents did not reach the standards required by the Operational Rules and that the club was responsible for the actions of the stewards at its matches, whether employed by it or otherwise.”

The tribunal gave credit for steps taken after the match to address the issue, “but felt the sanction should reflect the serious nature of the incidents.”

Half the fine was suspended until the 2016 season but will become payable if the club is charged with a similar offence within that time.

The tribunal also ordered the Wildcats to pay a £1,000 fine which was suspended following a previous misconduct issue involving spectators.